Scenes from our weekend in Cleveland (part 1)

Chris just started a new job and while this is fantastic news for our family, it also means that our schedules have become a little less flexible. Naturally, he has to accumulate vacation time and is beginning from scratch. But that doesn't eliminate our shared travel bug! We decided that in the meanwhile, we would utilize any long weekends we could to take short trips. Our first voyage was over Memorial Day weekend, when we drove up to Cleveland to eat, shop, and explore.

We visited the newly remodeled Cleveland Art Museum, which is pretty fantastic and free to the general public! While there, we saw so many wedding parties taking photos, which always makes me feel a little wistful. As a spectator, I was reminded of the strangers who wished me well and snapped photos from the patio outside of Heinz Chapel, while I waited to walk down the aisle on my own wedding day.

Chris put his art history degree to use as he took Emilia on her own private tour. It was fun to compare her reactions to the art on this trip vs her previous museum visit at the National Gallery of Art (when she was two months). At six months old, she was less into impressionism and cubism. She was more into portraits of women and girls. She still liked the mobile sculptures of Alexander Calder. But she also appreciated multisensory and multimedia pieces.

 

We loved the West Side Market, where we shopped and had lunch. Because it was a Saturday on a holiday weekend, it was very crowded. Thankfully, we opted to wear her rather than try the stroller. She loved looking up at the architecture of the space in the main terminal.

There was certainly a lot to see!

 

We took a break to eat our hand pies from one of the vendors. We also gave Emilia a break from the Ergo so she could stretch her legs.

We ate at some amazing places too. I can't wait to go back!

Outfit details
Me:
Tory Burch Warren ruffle trench
J. Crew anchor dress
Old Navy leggings
Lucky Brand Emmie flats
Marc Jacobs Mercer hobo
Norman Childs glasses/Etro sunglasses

Chris:
Vince sweater
Marc Jacobs jeans (note that these are way cheaper in the mbmj store than online for some reason)
Vans slip ons
Lifetime Collective sunglasses

Emilia:
Osh Kosh cardigan (similar hoodie set she also has here)
Tea Collection dress (same in another colorway here)
Old Navy leggings
Trumpette socks
Handmade hat

By the way, I'll be drawing the Shabby Apple Giveaway winner later today and contacting them via email. The winner will also be posted in the Rafflecopter widget. Thank you to everyone who entered and to Shabby Apple for providing the prize!

First Friday Unblurred OOTN

Chloé landscape dress worn backwards as jacket* 
(similar but costly Dries landscape print dresses here, here, and here; colorful, slightly less costly non-Dries option here)

DVF Shawnessy underneath (similar here and here)

Spanx tights

Rachel Comey boots

I wore this outfit to Unblurred to visit the galleries along Penn Avenue in Garfield and Bloomfield (just a stone's throw from my home) last Friday. In Pittsburgh (and in many other cities) on every first Friday of the month, gallery storefronts open their doors to feature new exhibits, complete with refreshments, live music, and the opportunity to mingle (or at the very least people watch). It is a fun ritual and in between last Friday night's downpours, I made a break for those spaces that were nearby.

I opted for unbelted but I think belted works too.

Although Pittsburgh's First Friday event transcends the corridor near my residence to reach various areas of the city, I love that I can walk to some of the galleries. After a week's worth of commuting I try to avoid my vehicle as much as possible on weekends. Before I had this job my car would regularly sit for days untouched. I like living in a very walkable area, also serviced by public transit. So I recognize this to be a luxury of location. Even though I'm not crazy about my commute I wouldn't trade it for the lifestyle I can live on my days off and when I can work from home.

Highlights from First Friday: The opening of the Center for Postnatural History -- a small but information-packed museum space examining the scientific, corporate, and genetic interventions made by humans over the recent and less-than-recent past toward the manipulations of crops and creatures. 

Stephen Tuomala's exhibit, "The World Made Flesh" at Modern Formations Gallery. The artist took pages from Biblical texts and fastened them together for his canvas. Although this re-purposing might be controversial among some audiences, the result of the anatomic prints is stunning and graphic in its visual display.

And on a lighter note, I really enjoyed the Irma Freeman exhibit of Cat Paintings at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination.

Speaking of Pittsburgh art and artists, be sure to enter the Redraven Studios giveaway! 

*As an aside, I fell in love with this Chloé dress years ago and found one on ebay last year. I have struggled with finding ways to wear it because it is a bit shorter than my usual comfort length. I realized that the functional full back zipper opens up additional layering opportunities and I think it worked out well. Although for teaching I would probably wear it belted, I like the way the thicker fabric drapes when unfettered.